A New Life
by sky-rainbower
Summary: This is Lauren's chance to start a new, fun life in Konoha. Even though many have warned her that it can dangerous for a 16/17 year old girl to live alone in Konoha, she is determined to find friends and maybe even the love of her life. Oc x Neji
1. Chapter 1

A New Life

Chapter 1

Finally, I get to get out of this house. I get to move far away and start again. The real estate agent managed to get me the apartment, it may be small but it'll do. Tomorrow I'm getting on a plane and when I get off I will be in Konoha. I'm so excited I can't get to sleep. At least I can get plenty of sleep on the plane. I spent all of this week packing my stuff, day and night. So some sleep would be really good about now.

I managed to get to sleep at about 3am that morning and I was up again at 6.30am. 3½ hour will be enough to get me to the airport. And of course their were a few tears. I don't know why it's not like I'm never gonna call or never come back to visit. I had to wait for 4 hours after I got though security. Their weren't many people for this plane, in fact the only people on this plane had probably came here for holiday, because they had barely any luggage. I had loads of suitcases, a backpack and a shoulder bag. The plane was small as well and only half the people I saw got on the plane. We flew over loads of small islands and we made a few stops on the way. Unfortunately I didn't get much sleep, because we kept stopping at different airports. I was the only passenger left on the plane when we landed in Konoha. So I decided to thank the pilot in person. He was as tired as me and I couldn't blame him. The air hostess took me to what I presumed was an airport. It was quiet small, but very cosy. They obviously had very few people coming here or even leaving, but nothing would ruin this for me. The air hostess pointed me to a counter and left for the plane about leave. The sound of the plane leaving had woken up one of the ladies behind the counter. She gave a strange look, a cross between surprised and anger from waking her up.

"Your bags will be here shortly, we just have to check them for contraband," stated the lady.

"That's ok," I replied smiling "it will be good to relax for a while." She turned her back to me; I was too tired to care.

About 20 minutes later a young man brought out my bags and gave me an all clear. I walked over to her.

"There's a taxi waiting for you outside," she pulled out a small travel map and pointed to a building on it "the taxi will take you to the immigration centre, to get you signed in. And I'm guessing you already have somewhere to live so I would advise you go to their next," she winked at me "you wouldn't want to carry those bags around all day, would you."

"Thank you for the help," I walked out the door to the taxi. The driver got out of his car to help me with my bags. I put a backpack on the back seat and I kept my shoulder bag on my lap in the front seat. The driver shut the boot and got in. He started the car and I saw an id badge on the dash board. It read 'S. Allock, taxi driver for Konoha Taxis'.

"Don't get many people coming here nowadays," said the driver as we pulled out of airport "you staying for while I see."

"Yeah. I'm surprised that their wasn't anyone else coming here, it's so beautiful," he looked at me as I said it.

"I may be beautiful here, kid. But that doesn't mean it's completely safe. That's why we have the academy over their. So the students can help protect this old place," he pointed to a huge building as we came over the hill. "You have to be able to look after yourself here or you'll find yourself in trouble. You understand, kid," he turned to me with a serious look on his face.

"I understand, but I'm ready for anything this place throw at me," I stared forward and smiled at world just beyond the glass. He probably thought I was mad but I didn't care.

It was only a short ride to the immigration centre. It was in the heart of the town. Right on the corner of 2 roads, both roads were lined with shops of all sorts. The driver took my bags into the building.

"Thank you," I smiled at him, he winked back at me.

"Good luck kid," he replied. I pushed on the glass door and a burst of conditioned air swept past my feet. It wasn't that hot outside, but it felt like a freezer inside. The reception had turned up the air conditioning all the way and had an extra fan on her desk. She was wearing at least 3 layers; I was wearing what I always wear for summer. Denim shorts, trainers and a singlet. Sometimes I would wear a dress, if it was really hot. She looked at me and forced out a smile.

"Hello, you must be the girl from Australia," she tilted her head to the side, like if she was examining me. It sent shivers down my spine. She turned off the fan on her desk.

"Yes. The lady at the airport sent me here," I drop my backpack on the ground by my feet.

"Do you have your visa?" asked the receptionist. I reached into my shoulder bag and pulled out the visa. She took it out of my hands. "Thank you. I'll load it into the computer and you'll be good to go," she started typing. I knew it wouldn't take long so I stood by the counter and waited silently. After a few minutes she was done.

"All done. Have you got somewhere to stay?" she stared at me as I picked up my backpack off the floor.

"Yes, I brought an apartment about 10 minutes away,"

"Well that's good. Here's your visa back," she handed my visa back. I slipped it into my shoulder bag.

"Thank you. Good bye," I waved as I walked out the door.

"Good luck," she waved back "your gonna need it." She sat back down.

I walked down the road, past the shops and down an ally to a large apartment building. I was meeting the real estate agent outside the apartment in 5 minutes. I walked inside the building to the lobby.

"They told me that someone was moving in, but I still don't believe it," I turned around a man was sitting behind a large desk. He was in his early 50's and about 6'1. "You want me to take your bags; you'll never get them up those stairs,"

"Yes please, but how are you gonna get them up their," I thought the stairs were the only way up. I walked up to the counter and he pointed to a door in the corner of the room. "Is that a lift?" I asked. He nodded.

"But we don't let people use it, manly cuz it's old and a bit dodgy," replied the man " oh and by the way, the names max." he put out his hand to shake mine. So I dropped the bag I was holding and did the same. He grabbed my bags by the door and I helped him put them all behind the counter.

"Well you better get going, don't wanna keep that guy waiting," he winked at me. The real estate agent, I almost forgot. I ran up the stairs and luckily he was still their.

"Ah. Miss Read, I'm glad your here," the real estate agent unlocked the door.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but I had to go to the immigration centre and I lost track of time," I heard a max coming up the stairs. He waved at me. "I see you've met the lobby keeper," he waved at max too. I nodded and he walked into the apartment. I followed him in.

It was perfect. Well perfect for me anyway. There were 2 toilet, 1 in the bathroom and 1 outside the bathroom. There was a living/dining in centre, right next to the kitchen. The bedroom was in the living area, but raised up slightly. The whole living area was open, apart from the toilet, bathroom and a small room in the corner.

"It's not that big, but it'll do for 1 or 2 people," the real estate agent put his hand in his pocket.

"It's perfect, just what I need. Thank you," I replied. I dropped my shoulder bag on the kitchen counter.

"Well once we get your bags in, I'll leave you to make yourself at home," he walked out the door and helped max bring in some bags. I followed him and in a couple of minutes the bags were in. The real estate agent waved goodbye and went downstairs. I heard his car pull away.

"You want me to give the grand tour of this place," max had just dropped the bag in his hand. I attached the door key to my key ring and put it in my bag. I nodded my head and followed him out the door. I locked the door and made my way down the stairs.

Max showed me around the apartment block and introduced me to the neighbours. It only took about 10 minutes, it wasn't that big.

"Oh. And if you ever need me I'll be down here. And don't hesitate on using the lift for your shopping," said max as he sat behind his desk.

"Thank you very much max. And if it's not too much hassle, could you tell me if my cargo crate arrives," I readjusted my shoulder bag.

"No problem," he replied "well I better let you get settled in then." I waved goodbye and walked up the 4 flights of stairs in between me and my new home. I felt like time had stopped while I was climbing the stairs, it gave me time to think about today. To think about how many people I had met and how many times I had said thank you.

I walked in the front door and I decided to take a nap on the couch. I woke up a little late, well about 6.30pm, but it felt a lot later to me. I hadn't eaten anything since the flight this morning (I had forgotten to eat lunch, because of everything going on). I remembered passing a small takeaway restaurant on the way here. Hopefully it wasn't to busy and I could get something to eat.

It was a short walk, only a minute or 2. I was starving, I should have had lunch. Luckily there weren't many people in the restaurant. There was a couple but they were just about to leave. I sat on 1 of the bar stoles as the couple left.

"Welcome. What can I get you tonight?" asked the clerk behind the bar. I stared at the board over her head. It read 'chef's special' in large letters.

"I'll have the chef's special today please," I wasn't sure what it was but I was too hungry to care. She disappeared behind the bar into the kitchen. I sat and read though a few different leaflets. One was about a tour that took you right around the village and to places it said 'are barely known about, a real mystery'. Well this whole place is just one mystery for me so this tour might be a good idea. I heard the bell above the door ring. I looked over my shoulder, their was a man with a black blow cut and wearing a green spandex jumpsuit. He sat down and a kid that looked just like the man sat next to him. They could have been twin if it weren't for the obvious age difference, maybe they were father and son. A girl walked in, she looked embarrassed by the two guys.

The man stood up "Youthful student. As a reward for your hard work, I'll treat you all to dinner tonight. Which reminds me, where's Neji?" The bell rang again.

"I'm here," replied Neji. The man tried to pat him on the back, but Neji sat down too quickly for that. He sat in the last seat left, which happened to be the 1 next to me. The clerk appeared from behind the bar with notepad in hand.

"Well what do we have here then, I haven't seen you all in a week," the clerk acted as if she knew them.

"We've been out of town recently, and are here to celebrate a successful mission," the man then winked at the clerk and I swear I was almost sick. Neji saw my reaction and smiled a little. He obviously felt the same way.

"So what does everyone want then," the clerk seemed to be a little embarrassed at the man's reaction.

They all gave the same response "the usual." She disappeared again, but only for a minute. She came out with a bowl of noodles and placed it by my hand. She smiled at me and I said "thank you" placing the money on the counter. A 10 ryo for a the noodles, it cost 5.45 ryo. Simple maths so I did it in my head.

"4.55 ryo change," I managed to get in just before her.

"Well aren't you a smart one," the clerk handed me the change, which I put in my wallet.

The 2 guys in spandex were talking quiet loudly about youth and training and other boring, useless information. It was enough to make anyone fall asleep. I had a mouthful of noodles and reached for my ipod. I must have been singing out loud again, because I keep getting looks from the girl sitting next to Neji. Neji was looking at the table most of the time and I was tempted to talk to him, but something inside stopped me. He was cute, well I thought so. I tried to think of something to say.

"You come hear often," I only managed to get the words out. I hoped he knew I was talking to him. He turned toward me and looked at my ipod.

"Yeah, sometimes. It's a good place for a quick meal," I suddenly felt calmer when he answered "what are you listening to?" He was looking at the headphone daggling by my side. I grabbed it and handed it to him.

"Damaged by plummet. Do you wanna listen?" he looked at the headphone before nodding "tell me if it's too loud." He put it in his ear and I started the song again. I sang the words quietly as I drew in my notebook. Neji watched me draw random pictures. I looked at him and started drawing a picture of him. Sketching out his face and his eyes, taking great care not to mess it up. I signed the bottom of the page and gave him the picture. The clerk brought out his food. I had almost forgotten about the bowl of food by my arm. I ate half of it quickly then started drawing again. I didn't feel that hungry anymore. I looked at Neji; he was eating as slow as me.

"Come on Neji you don't usually eat this slowly. Even lee has beaten you," she gave Neji a pat on the back "we might have to leave without you soon."

"You can go then. I don't mind," he took another mouthful of noodles. The 2 guys wearing spandex got up and so did the girl.

"Well then my youthful student, we'll leave you to your meal," they all left. I continued singing quietly to Elevator by The Pussycat Dolls.

We both finished eating at the same time. He put the headphone on the table.

"Thank you," he bowed slightly and headed for the door.

"No problem," I looked at my feet and saw his bag. I grabbed it and ran out the door. "Excuse me, you left your bag," Neji looked over his shoulder at me holding his bag. "you wouldn't wanna lose something in there, you'll never see it again." I handed him the bag and bowed (I thought it was some sort of custom). He did the same and walked down the street. I didn't like the idea of staying out alone tonight, especially with a new moon in the sky. So I jogged back to my apartment, holding onto my shoulder bag tight. I got home just before 7.30. It was pitch black outside and I was knackered. I jumped into bed and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow. That night I dreamt about the day that had just passed, getting off the plane, riding in the taxi, seeing my apartment for the first times and meeting that boy in the restaurant.

It was a beautiful dream.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke up at about 12:45am. The sun was high in the sky and it was stinking hot outside. I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed. I was thinking about my dream last night. But I had to unpack everything. It didn't take as long as I had thought, only 2 hours and I was done with most of it. I wounded if he would be at the restaurant tonight. No he wouldn't go their regularly. Great. I forgot to get any food yesterday, which means shopping. I open my wardrobe and changed into my white summer dress (because it was at least 35 degrees outside, I thought the dress was the best option). Luckily max said I could use the lift for my shopping.

I walked into the town centre and you could hear all the people talking from a mile away. Some were trying to get a bargain and other were advertising their products to passers by. As I walked down the busy street I pasted multiple shops that had just opened their windows and doors to get more people in. Their were stall in the middle of the road (but apart from the taxi I had ridden in I hadn't seen another car yet). The air was fresh and fragrant. I walked around and I was looking for good, descent food. I passed one shop filled with weaponry. Why would you need weapons in a place like this, so peaceful and friendly. You would think they might have been for decorations, but their were people walking around with knife pockets around their legs. To me it was all alien. I practise sword fighting, but I wouldn't bring a sword to a market. Or even into town. I was just buying some oranges when a boy had put a short, diamond shaped knife up against a salesman throat. I knew this wasn't right, even in this strange place. The boy grabbed all of the man's money and I stuck my leg out to trip him over. The man was yelling at him so he didn't notice my leg. He smashed into the floor and had dropped all money. I gathered it up and handed it to the salesman. He snatched it off me and grabbed the boy.

'I'll take it from here,' the man walked past me taking the boy by the arm.

'You couldn't have come early and stopped him,' the salesman was practically yelling 'what are cops good for?' The cop shook his head and started walking over to me.

'Maybe you should be thanking the girl, who caught him then,' he pointed to me 'she got you your money back now didn't she.' I didn't want this sort of attention on my second day. The cop lead the boy away and the salesman held out an amount of money. I pushed it back. He scowled at me and I picked up my newly bought oranges.

'I don't want any money,' I took a step back and he counted the money (thinking I had nicked some) 'it was just a good deed.' The man chuckled and everyone went back to what they had been doing before.

I looked around for a second to see the stools and I swear I saw that boy from the restaurant, Neji, at one of the stools. I thought I was hallucinating, probably heat stroke or something like that. I kept walking and bought some more food before heading home. On the way I saw a small restaurant called 'leaf tea' or something like that. The sun was shinning in my eyes and I couldn't make it out properly. I was getting a headache from being in the sun to long. I walked though the door and it was fully air-conditioned. It felt like heaven being in a lovely cold room after walking around for hours and tripping that kid. Ok that didn't take much energy but the sun was boiling and it made everything feel a lot harder then usual. The smell of freshly brewed tea filled the room. I felt myself attracted to smell and I moved over to a seat in the corner of the room. It was right in the back, against the wall and right under an air-conditioning duct. A waitress came up to me with a note pad in hand.

'What will it be today then,' she was tapping the pen on her note pad.

'Just some green tea please, nothing special,' she jotted it down and walked off. I spread out on the chair, completely relaxed.

The waiter bought out the green tea and placed it on the table.

'Thank you,' she was about to reply when somebody walked in. She quickly went over to take their orders. I really couldn't have cared less. I was suffering from the time difference; to me it felt like the middle of the night still. I started drinking my tea, almost sculling it. I ordered a couple more drinks and each one made me feel more human. I watched the clock strike 5.15 pm and about 20 people came running though the door. They must of just finished work and with the markets closed they were all looking for something to cool them down. Luckily I had got in before the rush hour. I watched the people run to grab a table and other ordering tea to take away. It continued for about half an hour. The last people were paying for their drinks and I found it all very strange. Why would you try to get a drink if you knew it would be packed? I would have come in just before or just after, its common sense. But just like patience, common sense is also a virtue. The last few people walked out the door and it was like a ghost town. I turned my back to the empty seats and sipped my fifth cup of green tea. My shopping was still fine but I'd have to take them home soon. I pulled a carrot out of one of the bags and start biting one end. The door open and a boy walked in. When he walked closer I could see that it was the boy from the restaurant. He ordered a drink and walked over to the table I was sitting at. When he saw me he stopped.

'Oh. Sorry is this your table?' I was getting ready to leave.

'No. it's just a good spot,' he was about to sit at another table.

'Well there is nothing stopping you from sitting here,' he looked at me and sat down. We sat there for a while in silence. I wasn't gonna just sit there.

'So,' he looked up at me 'do you come here often?' he nodded and sipped his tea. Then he replied and we started talking about everything and anything. I asked him about Konoha and he asked me about why I chose Konoha. We talked about our families, our dreams and our beliefs. It felt like we had been friends for years, but we had only meet once before. He offered to help me take my bags home. I couldn't believe that in 2 day I had met a guy like this. He was so sweet and he was willing to help me carry my 10 bags of shopping back to my apartment.

'Well the least I can do is to pay for your drink,' I wanted to do something for him.

'Theirs is no need,' he grabbed some of the bags, but I was already paying for our drinks. We walked though the hot sun back to my apartment. We were talking about the most random things. I held the door open for him.

'So which apartment do you live in,' he was getting ready to walking up the stairs.

'Top floor, after 4 flights of stairs,' his mouth hit the floor and I just smiled at him 'you don't have to carry them up.' I walked behind Max's desk.

'Come on,' Neji followed me behind the desk to the lift door. I pushed the button and the door opened. I dropped in the bags and took the ones Neji had. I pulled him up the stairs.

'I think I owe you a drink,' I was unlocking the door.

'There really is no need,' he was starting to blush and I could help but do the same.

'No I'm not gonna let a good deed be punished by me making you walk home in this weather without at least one drink,' the door clicked open. I heard the elevator click and I grabbed my bags. Neji walked over and grabbed the others bags.

Once the bags were in, I grabbed 2 cold drinks from my fridge. He seat down on the couch. I handed him the drink and turned on the TV. We watched a home video show and were talking about how stupid some people could be. When the show finished Neji stood up.

'Thank you for your hospitality, but I really have to go now my uncle will be angry if I'm late,' he throw the can into the bin.

'No need to thank me. You're the one who helped me with my bags,' I walked him to the door 'sure you don't want a lift?' I had forgotten that I didn't have my motorbike.

'No I'll be fine,' he had walked out the door.

'Well then. Good night Neji,'

'Good night Lauren,'

I watched him walked down the stairs. I felt a warm, comfy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It helped me get to sleep that night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I spent the next few days at home sorting everything out. Cleaning and organising had taken a lot of time. It was 2:00 when I got a call on my mobile.

'Hello,' I wasn't expecting anyone to call.

'Lauren, it's max,' I sat down on the sofa and pulled out a malteser from the packet.

'Oh hi max. I wasn't expecting a call,'

'You remember that you asked to tell if your crate arrived,' I could hear a truck pulling away.

'Yeah,'

'Well it just turned up outside,'

'That's great I'll be down in a second,' I was grabbing my bag and heading to the door.

'Ok then I'll see you in a sec then bye,'

'Bye,' max hung up the phone and I locked the door behind me. I couldn't wait for to get on my motorbike, it had been months since the last time I had taken a ride.

I ran down the stairs and almost tripped several times. I finally managed to stagger out the door. There was this giant crate right in front of me and people moving stuff out of it.

'Your Miss Read right,' one of the men had a clipboard in his hand.

'Yes. Are you sure this is my crate?' I didn't realise how big it was.

'Positive. Now could you please sigh here,' he held out his clipboard and handed me a pen. I signed my name as quickly as I could. One of the men rolled out my bike.

'Where do you want all of this,' the man folded the piece of paper I signed. I walked over to a row of sheds and locked one of them.

'In here, please. But can you leave my bike by the wall,' the men started moving everything in. Even me and max helped to get everything in. I never realised how much stuff I had. It filled the whole shipping crate, floor to roof.

Everything went in the shed nicely and the men quickly packed up all the rubbish and drove. I waved as they drove off. I sun was burning my shoulders as I pulled on my leather jacket. I was already wearing my jeans, the only thing I needed now was my helmet which was sitting on top of my bike. Max walked into the air-conditioned lobby. I would have to thank him later when I got back. I swung my leg over the back of the bike and pulled on my helmet. I had already put fuel in it and was hoping that the battery wasn't dead. I turned the ignition… the bike revved into life. I drove down the small road leading to the main street. There were no signs with speed limits written on them, so had to go quite slow.

It was impossible to go down any of the smaller roads; they were filled with people and stalls. Only the main road was empty. People stared as I drove past on my bike. I followed the road until I got to a huge gate. I paused, but only for a second before driving though the gate. On the other side, there were no roads just dirt tracks. I was trying to be careful not to skid. The noise from my bike was music to my ears, but it obviously caught people's attention. It seemed like they had never seen a motorbike in their lives. I was going down a narrow stretch of road. Suddenly someone emerged from the trees and stood in the middle of the road. I pulled the brake and swerved to avoid a collision. I missed the person and tried to straighten myself up. But I lost balance and slid along the floor, my bike stopping a couple of metres from me. I pulled my self up and took off my helmet. I had cut my arm on something and it was bleeding, luckily it wasn't that bad. But I had ripped a large hole in my jacket.

'What was it lee,' a girl voiced called. When I looked over my shoulder I saw someone come out of the trees.

'I don't know, but someone was on it,' I saw him the person who had standing in the road, I recognised him. It was the boy who was at the restaurant the one in the spandex. Neji and the older man (also wearing spandex) came out of the trees. I stumbled over to my bike to check for damage. I tried starting it, the first time it stalled. I tried again and it started up. My ipod was plugged in and was still in one piece. It started playing from the song I'd left it at. I turned the bike off and leant it against a tree.

'Are you ok,' the girl looked slightly worried.

'Well, I'll live,' she looked at my arm which had started to bleed more heavily. I open my bag and pulled out a bandage. I had to carefully pull off my jacket so I could clean it up. It felt like someone was peeling off my skin with a red hot poker.

'Do you need any help,' the girl was starring at my arm now. She turned to the boy, who was till standing in the road. She started whispering to him and so did the older man. While they were occupied Neji walked over to me. I was sitting sideways on my bike, trying to bandage my arm up.

'You sure you're ok. You did have a nasty fall,' he helped me tie the bandage together.

'Yeah, I'll be fine. I was quite lucky actually,' I lent down and picked up my helmet.

'Neji…. Could you come here for a second?' Neji walked over to the others. They were talking quietly so I could only make out a few words. My arm was still hurting, I checked to see if I had broken it. Nothing, not even dislocated I really had been lucky. The boy, lee (well I think his name is lee), walked over.

'I really hope you will accept my apologizes,' he was staring at his feet. I stood up and stepped forward.

'Only if you promise never stand in front of anyone on a bike, you could have been injured. I'm lucky it was only a cut; most people walk away broken bones or dislocated joints. Or they don't walk away at all,' he looked at me as I walked back to my bike 'and as you can see this isn't a very crash friendly design.' My bike was made to cut though the air, to minimise drag and you can't even sit on it without long trousers on.

'But your arm,' the girl didn't seem to understand.

'I know. But I surprised I didn't get a broken ankle,' I pointed out a part of bike that was in line with my ankle 'but it's safe if you know how to ride a motorbike properly.' The sun setting behind the trees, I would have to get home soon.

'Well I think the least we can do is escort you home,' the older man grinned. I would have to push my bike home, so having people to talk to would be nice. I was about to reply.

'I'll take that as a yes then,' it's like he knew what I was about to say 'and I'm Gai.'

'I'm Tenten and he's Lee,' she punched Lee in the arm 'and he's Neji.' I saw Neji smile a little. She didn't really need to introduce him, but I had guessed that Neji hadn't told his friends about our earlier encounters.

'Nice to meet you all,' I smiled and got a sudden shock from my arm. I looked down at my feet so they wouldn't see the horrific look on my face. I grabbed the handles of my bike and pushed it down the road.

We walked for a while and I listened to lee and Gai talking about the strangest things. I saw Tenten turned to Neji and say something. I couldn't hear them though because I had plugged in my headphones and was listening to my songs. I pulled one of the headphones out; I had forgotten to do it earlier. As soon as I did lee and Gai slowed down so they were walking next to me.

'Do you want any help,' Gai was reaching out to grab the handles from me

'No I'm fine. This isn't the first time it's happened. I'm used to the long walks home after I've fallen off my bike,' I could the giant gates appearing in front of me 'especially when you're learning something new. You get used to it.' My arm started hurting again as I pushed it though the gates. I almost dropped my bike but Neji had grabbed the back so it wouldn't fall over.

'So where are we going now,' Gai was standing in front of me and he obviously had no idea where I lived.

'That's ok I can get myself home,'

'Are you sure,' Tenten seemed surprised and so did lee

'Yes. Thank you very much for your help,' they had already helped me back to Konoha and I knew I wouldn't have made it back myself.

'Well then, team Gai head out,' they all ran off toward the academy. Neji turned towards me and waved before disappearing behind the stalls and buildings.

I walked slowly home pushing my bike. I turned down the alleyway and max was waiting outside. He ran over and I assured him that I was fine. He still helped me put my bike away. He offered me a hand with the stairs but I politely refused. It hurt every time I pulled myself up a set of stairs. But I made to my room without any help. I unlocked the door and flopped down on the couch. I fell asleep before I could even make to my bed.


End file.
